The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality

Book excerpt: Postmaterial spiritual psychology posits that consciousness can contribute to the unfolding of material events and that the human brain can detect broad, non-material communications. In this regard, this emerging field of postmaterial psychology marks a stark departure from psychology's traditional quantum measurements and tenets. The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality codifies the leading empirical evidence in the support and application of postmaterial psychological science. Sections in this volume include: - personality and social psychology factors and implications - spiritual development and culture - spiritual dialogue, prayer, and intention in Western mental health - Eastern traditions and psychology - physical health and spirituality - positive psychology - scientific advances and applications related to spiritual psychology With chapters from leading scholars in psychology, medicine, physics, and biology, The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality is an interdisciplinary reference for a rapidly emerging approach to contemporary science. This overarching work provides both a foundation and a roadmap for what is truly a new ideological age.